1. Field
The present invention relates to a lithographic apparatus and a device manufacturing method. The present invention also relates to devices and methods for programming an array of individually controllable elements configured to modulate a beam of radiation.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate, usually onto a target portion of the substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of flat panel displays, integrated circuits (ICs), and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional apparatus, a patterning device, which can be referred to as a mask or a reticle, can be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of a flat panel display or other device. This pattern can be transferred onto a target portion (e.g., comprising part of one or several dies) on a substrate (e.g., a glass plate). Transfer of the pattern is typically via imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (e.g., resist) provided on the substrate.
When using maskless lithography each target portion of the substrate is written in discrete units known as pixels. In one example, each pixel will typically have a size of about 30 nm. The patterning device typically includes an array of individually controllable elements. A plurality of pixels will be written at a time, with each pixel corresponding to an individually controllable element. Between writing to adjacent target portions of a substrate, the patterning device may need to be reconfigured, so as to write a different plurality of pixels to different target portions. In order to rapidly pattern the substrate, it is necessary to reconfigure the patterning device relatively quickly. It is difficult to program the pattern means at such data rates, and accordingly, the programming of the patterning device becomes a rate limiting step in a lithographic process.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that improve performance of maskless lithography systems through reduction of pattern data needed in a datapath to a pattern generator.